Nurse shortages highlight Govt failure, says McManus

The ongoing nurse shortage in Irish hospitals has reached the stage of critical condition, according to Labour's spokeswoman on Health, Liz McManus.

Representatives from the Irish Nurses Organisation have been meeting the Eastern Regional Health Authority and the Northern Area Health Board to discuss the situation.

Deputy McManus says the Minister for Health must do everything possible to ensure qualified nurses return to the workforce.

"It's clear government failure when you have, after years of effort, still a thousand nurse vacancies”, she said.

“Clearly there's got to be more done to attract nurses back into the workforce."